This was the third day Mara had spent on the S.S. Augustine. While she was eager to begin her career anew in a new region she had to admit the time to relax had been nice. As the ship began to dock she stood near the gangplank with her backpack slung over her back. The crowd attempting to get off the ship was thick, and it took a little while before Mara was able to get through and onto the dock. There were a good number of them that she noticed were carrying Pokemon. Perhaps they were trainers. She hoped so. There would just be that many more opponents for her to annihilate.

Mara breathed a sigh as her feet touched dry, steady land. She didn't have a problem with seasickness but it was at least nice not to feel like her world was constantly swaying underneath her. There was an exaggerated strut to her step and a sway to her hips as she walked, eyes scanning her surroundings in search of a hint to where she should go. She didn't have to look far; not far from the harbor was a large sign pointing the way to the laboratory. A faint smile curved her lips as she turned to follow the arrow. She was just that much closer to getting back into the profession she loved. Now that she knew where she was going she allowed her mind to wander and take in the scenery. Lilycove was a fairly good sized city, though it was nothing compared to what she was used to back home. The closer she got to the lab, the thicker sidewalk traffic got. She supposed it would be safe to assume that a lot of these people were heading to the laboratory as well. Naturally she began sizing up the competition. Many of them looked far too young to pose any threat to her. They would be easy to demolish and their losses would only contribute to her strength. However, there were also many older trainers, some her age, some even older. They must have decided to come to Hoenn later in their careers, like she had. She wondered if they were any good. They would probably pose quite a challenge, and she couldn't wait to face that challenge. The thrill of an imminent battle made her feet move faster.

That thrill would have to wait. Mara got caught up a few feet away from the door to the lab. At first she couldn't figure out what the problem was, but then she realized it was the line to get a trainers' license and a starter. She frowned and crossed her arms. Patience was not a virtue she possessed, and this was clearly going to take a while.

The minute hand on her watch had moved five times before the line began to move. It was another five before it moved again. The snail pace was driving Mara insane. Why did it have to take so long? She'd been hoping to start travelling today but with the way this was going, she wasn't sure if she would be able to go before dark. An hour had gone by when the line started moving much more quickly. The people coming out of the lab didn't seem to have a starter, however. That concerned her a little. She didn't think they were refusing to take a starter. Did that mean that the lab had run out? That seemed ridiculous. She would have thought a lab in a city where there was so much traffic would be well prepared for that. Still, she noticed a murmur rising up from the crowd. Word was spreading back through the line that they were in fact out of starter Pokemon. Apparently Professor Cypress had not been anticipating the sheer number of new trainers that would filter through her doors. At this news many of the prospective trainers in line grumbled and stepped aside. Mara raised an eyebrow at them, but had no problem stepping up to take their place. It did irritate her that she wouldn't be getting her Pokemon and her license as she had planned, but she could at least get the license. Perhaps Cypress would let her in first thing in the morning to get one. That, or she'd find something she wanted elsewhere.

In what seemed like no time at all Mara stepped into the clean, organized interior of the lab. She was greeted by a frazzled looking woman with glasses and dark emerald hair. "Good evening," she said with a weary smile. "I am Professor Cypress. What is your name and your place of origin?"

She poised herself next to a large monitor, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Mara answered, "My name is Mara Henning. I'm from Goldenrod, Johto."

Cypress nodded and asked, "Have you at any point been registered in the Johto league? If so did you receive any badges there?"

"I was registered," she answered. "I received all of the badges up to Clair."

The machine made a series of clicking and whirring noises, and a freshly printed identification card popped out. "Alright, here you are. I trust you've heard by now that I currently do not have any Pokemon to give."

Mara gave her a charming smile. "That's alright, ma'am. I'm sure I can find one some way or another."

Cypress breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though other starting trainers hadn't been so understanding. "I'll still give you your five Pokeballs and everything else, and if you'll just come back in the morning I'll have a Pokemon to give you."

"That'll be fine." She accepted the five balls and attached each of them to the inside of her vest. The Pokedex, she placed in her vest pocket, and the identification card went safely into a pocket of her backpack. "Thank you very much for your time, Professor. I'll be returning tomorrow." She stepped forward to shake Cypress's hand. The older woman smiled softly.

"I look forward to seeing you."

Mara left then, already formulating how to get her starter. She wasn't about to wait until morning. It was only two; there was so much she could still get done today. First and foremost, she was hungry. So she went into the first restaurant she found and seated herself.

Her eyes flitted back and forth across the patrons as she rested her head in her hand and relaxed. Many of the people here were the young trainers she'd seen at the lab. Most of them were enjoying their newfound status as trainer and had their Pokemon in their laps, in the chair next to them, or on the table. The booth nearest her seated a young boy and a scruffy looking Vulpix. There was just something about it that caught her eye, so she began discreetly watching them. As far as she could tell, the Vulpix had no interest at all in the boy. On the contrary, it seemed to be trying to find a way to sneak off.

As the waitress came and take her order she kept half an eye on the boy at all times. Her food arrived and she ate and drank slowly. This was no longer about filling her stomach; it was about filling her first Pokeball. The boy finished before she did and he waited for his check, so now was the time to take action. Swiftly she reached into her bag and extracted a small metal cylinder with a tiny button on the end. These had come in handy in Johto and she knew they would come in handy now. Adrenaline began to pump through her body as she waited for the path to the door to clear; she wouldn't be able to see the way in a moment. At just the right second she pressed the button and tossed the cylinder away from herself. A few beats later it began emitting foul-smelling, vision-obscuring black smoke. Mara jumped to her feet and ran expertly to the boy's booth, snatched up a furry bundle that she could assume was the Vulpix, and then sprinted toward the door in the path she had planned. She left the coughing and confused people behind and darted into a nearby alley to catch her breath. As she did she grasped the Vulpix by the scruff and encapsulated it in a Pokeball. All of the evidence of what she'd just done was now eradicated. Still, she would be glad to get some distance between herself and the scene of the crime. She slipped back onto the sidewalk and strolled away at a leisurely pace. Behind her she could hear the commotion and she turned to look like a curious bypasser. But, again like a mere bypasser, she continued on. Whatever was going on back there had nothing to do with her.

It wasn't until she was near the city limits that she slowed. There was a cocky smile on her lips as she reached into her vest and pulled out her only filled ball. She seated herself at a bench underneath the shade of several trees and pressed the button to release her ill-gotten starter.

"You must be confused," she said authoritatively. It seated itself on its haunches and tilted its head in affirmation. "That boy hadn't the slightest clue how to bring you to your full potential. I know just what you need and I can make you better than you ever imagined. I can do this with or without your cooperation, but I'd much rather know we're on the same page. Do you think we can manage that?"

The Vulpix studied her with distrusting amber eyes. It seemed that it didn't quite know what to think of her. Mara wasn't going to wait for it to decide. She knelt down next to it and grabbed its scruff. That incapacitated it while she checked in its ears, eyes, mouth, and under its tail. She felt of its bone structure and muscling and its paws. She placed a hand over its chest so she could feel the heat of its flame sac. As far as all of these things went, it was in excellent health. The scruffy quality of its fur could be fixed with high quality food and brushing. After this examination she could tell it was male and fairly young, so he was likely to be prideful, high-strung, and energetic. That was just fine. Mara knew exactly how to work with that. "You will be referred to as Alpha. Respond to that. You will either be great, or you will be nothing but a thorn in my side. Keep in mind how you act toward me is in direct proportion to how I treat you."

Alpha growled low, but it wasn't necessarily a threat. It was more as if to say, 'The same goes for you.'

That was good enough for Mara. She dug around in her bag and extracted a long chain leash. There was a ring at the end she could put the leash through to create a collar. With a serious expression, she showed Alpha the leash.

"You will be walking out of the ball with me," she informed him. "If you can't follow me on your own, I'm putting this on you. I know you're smarter than that, so let's make this an enjoyable walk, shall we?"

Mara rose to her feet and motioned for Alpha to follow her. She wanted to start on her way to the next town, but the problem with that was she hadn't stocked up on all of the supplies she would need yet, preoccupied as she was with stealing a Vulpix. That meant she would have to go back into Lilycove. Granted, there was a chance the Vulpix's actual owner would see her and get her into trouble but she knew just what to do in that situation and she was confident she could shut that little brat up quickly. She smiled coldly to herself as she reentered the city limits with Alpha trotting along next to her. The pace seemed to be a little fast for him, but the only way to get him to the physical shape she wanted from him was to push him. Soon he would be able to pass her easily, but he would know better than to disrespect her like that. She would see to it.

As the buildings swallowed her once more she heard a growling sound in an alley between two buildings. She and Alpha stopped simultaneously and listened. It was worth checking out, so the pair quietly slipped into the alley, their eyes peeled. Alpha noticed it before she did; a Snubbul glaring at the both of them from against a wall, its teeth bared. The pink cutesy Pokemon was not one that Mara would generally choose to train, but for now it would do fine. She did need the occasional expendable, after all. There were always Pokemon on her team that she was willing to sacrifice for a win. This one could fill that role.

"You're up, Alpha." Mara's voice was unusually calm and stoic. Alpha stepped up with his ears flat against his head, meeting the Snubbul's aggression. Instead of offering further instruction she waited to see what it would do next. The Snubbul snarled all the more furiously and raised its hackles. It was a clear and direct threat. Alpha did not back down from it, though, and that impressed her. She didn't give him the slightest bit of instruction until she saw tiny wisps of flame flit between Snubbul's teeth.With the experience she had she knew what to expect, so she waited impatiently for the pink canine to react. It had finally had enough of being cornered and it propelled itself toward Alpha with surprising speed to sink flaming teeth into his flank. Alpha cried out and jerked himself out of its grip. Mara frowned; that was something she would have to train out of him later. Pulling away from an enemy when held in claws or teeth could result in more grievous injury. Alpha would have to be taught to tolerate pain better.

For the time being things were going exactly as she'd expected. She was aware of the Flash Fire ability Vulpix possessed, and it was brought into effect now. "Execute Tail Whip and follow up with Heat Wave. Quickly."

Perhaps it was the no nonsense tone in her voice that made Alpha respond so promptly. He battered Snubbul with his six tails, then jumped back, braced his legs, and formed a ball of orange flame in his mouth. Instead of exhaling flame he breathed out sharply, sending a gust of searing wind at the Snubbul. It howled in agony and tried to leap out of the way, but Alpha kept it trapped. Mara smiled faintly. She would have to remember to praise him for that.

"Alright, Alpha. Stand down," she said when she thought he couldn't keep it going anymore. Just before the barrage stopped she threw a Pokeball. It sucked the Snubbul in and shook feebly a few times before laying still.

"Excellent." Mara knelt down and stroked Alpha between the ears. "You are every bit as good as I expected. We have some training to do, but I'm still very impressed by you."

He looked up at her smugly. She did not reward the proud behavior, instead rising to her feet, retrieving the ball, and attaching it to the inside of her jacket.

"It shall be referred to as Beta. That means any order I give, you must follow; and order you give, it must follow, and so on down the line. The chain may change at any given time. Do you understand?"

Alpha dipped his head in answer. That was good enough, so she went back out onto the street and headed for the Mart again. She was pleased to note that although there were several puncture wounds in Alpha's side from the Fire Fang he didn't even limp. That showed strength and tenacity. So far he seemed as if he'd be one of those Pokemon that she would easily sacrifice another to keep. If she was going to be keeping his health in order she would have to make a trip to the Center as well. She only hoped there weren't signs up at the Center that denoted a missing Vulpix, because she was not about to give him back.